ѕннн! ιт'ѕ a ѕєcяєт! dnp

[Dangerosa]

It was a relief to know that he wasn't the only one who thought of Tairus' behaviour as childish and unbecoming of royalty. Maelyn's words managed to put a small smile on his face in acknowledgement of the joke and in agreement with what she was saying. There was a part of him that hoped that her words were true, but he knew from observation of the Fire prince and their exchange in the Inn, that not even food would help him to mature. He was a boy playing king and that was what he would remain. "I agree that it would be wise of us to cross reference any information we hear at the pawnshop. We can only hope that the merchant will not charge a substantial amount for the information only for us to later discover that it was misinformation." He mulled it over for a while before continuing cautiously, uncertain what she would think of his idea and, in a place that was unfamiliar, how comfortable he himself felt about voicing it. "Perhaps we can split up to gather information, each person to a different location within the city, then regroup to sort through what is true and what is false and any possible leads."

One thing he could say about Maelyn was that she was very optimistic. Or perhaps idealistic was a better term. She knew absolutely nothing about the condition Savona's forests were in and how difficult it would be to restore them to the condition they were in before the war. Balian knew that as much as they knew about the forest there was still so much more to discover and not all of the plant and animal life had been documented. For all they knew, the fires had destroyed entire species. Threatened others with extinction. It would take years for the forest to be anywhere near the level it had been at before. "I would be willing to talk to my father about reopening trade between Savona and Brivas even if we are unable to find the staffs. Personally, I have no quarrel with your kingdom and would prefer it if we could find a way to work together. The knowledge in Brivas is immense and I'm certain that combined with some of our healing herbs and medicines we can help your people and Savona's forests." Though Balian wondered if he was talking to the right person considering Maelyn's appalling lack of interest in the library. Brivas was home to the best scholars in all of Agara and it was unfortunate that Princess Maelyn wasn't eagerly jumping at the opportunity. Balian still remained quite cautious, however, as Maelyn didn't say anything about her father, leading Balian to wonder if the King of Brivas would be a hinderance to his plan.

Balian turned away from his perusal of the items a vendor was displaying when Maelyn suddenly paused and greeted someone rather cheerfully. He had to do a double take when he saw a small golden monkey perched atop her head. Curious and with a smile and gentle expression on his face he stepped closer only to have the monkey jump on his shoulder. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise as he felt it scurry around chatting excitedly as it made some observations. The monkey was very curious and observant and seemed rather at ease around people. Balian wondered if it had been raised in the wild and become habituated to people because of frequent encounters, or whether it was because of being raised or taken into captivity. Unfortunately he believed the latter to be correct as there was only one primate that inhabited desert like regions — and even then it wasn’t in an environment as harsh as the one they were in currently. ”I suppose she would smell like the ocean; Maelyn has probably spent much of her life at sea or near water,” he responded almost absently to the monkey’s earlier statement.

Blinking, he realized that Maelyn probably didn’t know where that comment had come from and he turned to her to explain when the monkey tapped on his shoulder and and jumped off to land in front of a fruit vendor. Thinking that their new companion had decided that he’d learned all he wanted to and wanted to explore someplace else, he didn’t think much of it until the monkey was back on his shoulder, holding onto an apple. The merchant was shouting in rage about the apple that had been stolen and the monkey was chattering angrily in indignation. Balian was just about to pitch in when Maelyn wisely stepped in and paid off the merchant before urging him and the monkey to keep going.

Biting his tongue, Balian rigidly keep walking and didn’t look back at the vendor. The monkey was right : how dare that man suggest that animals should be kept in cages. Animals were not here to be enslaved, kept in chains, or made to perform for some sort of vulgar entertainment. It was sickening and infuriating that people would take wild animals and force them out of their habitats, ship them off in cages, and treat them as nothing more than moneymaking commodities where the public is encouraged to view animals and animal products as impulse purchases no different from fashion accessories that are acquired on a whim and discard when the novelty wears off. ”If you wanted something to eat, you could have said something; I do understand you and am willing to buy you something to eat,” he said glancing at the monkey on his shoulder. ”Do you have a name?”

He supposed he owed Maelyn an explanation despite the fact that this was an ability he rather not have get around too much. Balian was always afraid that once someone found out that he could understand animals, they would come up to him with all the small furry animals they found and ask him to tell them what their beloved pet was saying. It was fine at first, he was afraid it would get ridiculous. "He'd said that you smell like the ocean, recognized that I'm an elf," Balian
hesitated a second, not really comfortable explaining what the monkey had been so upset about, but decided there was a tactful way to go about it. "And he's very upset at the merchant's suggestion that he's our pet. I can understand him... and all animals. Maybe we can ask him and some of the other animals we come across if they've heard about the staffs. Sometimes animals hear and know more than we think they do," he shrugged. There was a reason why he had a fondness for small rodents. They were such efficient spies and no one ever suspected them of anything.


ℒ𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 lavisca streets tab tab 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 maelyn & monkey (kin) tab tab
𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓼 recovering tab tab ℱ𝒆𝒆𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 surprised & upset

[Dangerosa]

”For ******** sake, call me Zeph,” he muttered as he reached for his drink. ”Stop that ‘Guardian-Son’ s**t.” The only reason he gave his nickname instead of his full name was because he was almost certain this dragon prince would butcher it in some way, shape, or form. Besides, there were some things he would rather just keep under wraps. Zeph didn’t want everyone in the pub to know he was a guardian; that wasn’t something that you wanted advertised, especially considering the way in which he had obtained his staff — though it wasn’t his fault that the old Guardian had died.

Zephaniah didn’t speak another word while Sai outlined the Dragons' history and their plight. He’d lectured the drake enough when they were outside and there was no need to rehash that right now when he had given the man a few minutes of his time. And as long as the drinks kept coming, then there was no hurry to leave this pub. Mark and Claire were going to check out the docks for the foreign ship, Kin was keeping an eye on the group at the inn, and Naomi was finding Yeva; there was no reason why he couldn’t stay here a little longer.

It did seem like Sai was missing the point though. Zeph was fairly certain that he had said that dragons need to be more proactive and show that they were making an effort to improve their situation for him to make an appeal to the immortals. Biting back a sigh, he finished his first glass and started on his second while Sai continued speaking. Maybe his earlier words had sort of made it through that scaly head of his. ”What the ******** are you lizards waiting for? You’re doing a ******** great job defending the races,” he snorted, shaking his head. He took another sip of his drink and continued. ”Angels are the peacekeepers of Jardas, but Dragons are its defenders. Defending doesn’t only mean waiting until someone ******** threatens you before taking action. It means being ******** proactive. If you care at all about the fate of the dragons your first course of action wouldn’t be to come to me. Requesting the aid of the Immortals should only be done when all other options have been exhausted. What would be the ******** point of existence if at every ******** obstacle we cried out to the Immortals and they took it out of our way? We'd grow ******** weak and unable to do anything for ourselves. Then when the real challenge came we'd be destroyed by it." Zeph finished his drink and asked the barkeep for something a little harder, putting down the money for it so the dragon wouldn't feel obligated to pay. The beer was piss poor in here at any rate.

Drink in hand, he continued : “The humans were once a race that was looked down upon, but they still tried to better their position. Not by turning to the immortals but through their own resourcefulness and adaptiveness. They survive where they’re pushed and don’t take s**t from anyone. You can talk smack about them all you ******** want but at the end of the day they will rise to any challenge and succeed with flying colours. You need to take a page out of their book.” Zeph had to wonder if Sai was a young dragon, because he sure acted like it. Zeph knew that he would never have gotten where he did by asking for hand outs and for other people to do the work for him. Maybe dragons had had it too good for too long and no longer understood what hard work was all about. It didn’t matter what your ******** status or title was, everyone had to pull their own ******** weight. It was why Zeph was proud to be with this group of Guardians : Claire was a princess and yet she didn't stay on top of the highest mountain in Skalla protected by an army while she guarded the staff, she was out here mixing with the other races; Kin was a young demidian who fought the odds and worked on improving his skills every day; as much as he disliked him, Mark was a human who was a hard worker and was always training and trying to better himself and life for his people; Yeva was hard working and willing to break social norms to bring change even if the change won't benefit her directly. Each one of them worked improving something about their lives or the lives of those around them by hard work and perseverance, not by turning to the immortals for help every step of the way or hiding away from the world every time something changed that upset them.

"You say that you're coming to me to do what the dragons don't do, and you need the immortals to wake the dragons. You don't need me or the Immortals. You need to learn how to make the changes happen yourself." He thought for a moment, wondering how to best say this so that Saifullah would understand. Zeph had thought that he had made some headway before but once again Sai was back at asking him to call the Immortals, and Zeph didn't believe that needed to be done. Hell, unless the world was about to burn up because massive earthquakes had made all the active volcanoes erupt, he didn't think there was any reason to get the immortals involved. "Since you're a ******** prince, I'm going to assume that you've at least heard of Clarissa Heosphoros, the Princess of Skalla," he said slowly, as he hit upon an idea. "Despite her title, she doesn't hide away in Skalla. She's travelled all over Jardas talking to and interacting with people of all kinds. She champions Demidian rights, despite the fact that it's ******** unpopular. She makes herself ******** aware of the problems that are going on and tries her damndest to change them. It might not be a position that the rulers appreciate, but I bet my ******** life that other Demidians, myself include, and those who are going through difficult times appreciate what she's doing. Other than seeking me out, what have you done to bring attention to the Dragons' plight? What have you done to stir the Dragons into action? Just because you're a ******** dragon and a prince doesn't mean everyone should or will bow to you and do as you say." Zeph hoped that this time Sai understood and would suggest something else to help the dragons. He also hoped the others would agree with his decision and be bleeding hearts and give into Sai's sob story.


tab tab 𝔏𝔬𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 lavisca pub tab tab tab 𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 sai tab
tab tab 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰 95%

[Dangerosa]

It truly was entertaining listening to Leon spewing such colourful vitriol. If he didn’t know Anna as well as he did, he would have spoken up in her defence. However, with Anna it was never needed; she was more than capable of keeping up and outdoing Leon when it came to exchanging caustic remarks. True to form, she didn’t disappoint and Styxx didn’t fail to let the smirk show on his face as he watched their interaction. No matter what the situation, Anna was able to take control and get the response she wanted from those who challenged her. She was sharp as a whip and just as dangerous. It amazed him sometimes how he was ever to keep her to himself for as long as he did. Leon might want to take Anna up on that offer before he grew bored of her. However unlikely that may be.

His expression growing guarded at the mention of their next mission, Styxx wondered. Their only mission for the past while had been the capture of the royals. It had been frustrating, time consuming, and aggravating having to deal with mistakes, inadequacies and failure. And still he was no step closer to completing his own mission. Styxx knew Anna had her own reason for joining the Riders and thus far Trey had been rather neglectful in fulfilling his end of this bargain. Some clue, no matter how small, would have satisfied the Cambion and provided further impetus to remain with the King even after this mission was completed. Now the only reason for his continued loyalty was a certain drake with whom he often shared his bed. ”It’s a shame, but one day he will submit. Everyone has a price.” And all he had to do was figure out Leon’s, it was only a matter of time until he had him. Brightening slightly at the thought, he grinned. ”I’m looking forward to our time together.” the words said as much to Leon as they were to Anna.

Giving Anna one final, lust filled glance as he followed her movements out of the room, his face fell into a neutral glance as he observed Leon who still stood in the doorway. ”Be careful lest the next time you sleep it is a slumber from which there is no awakening,” he said evenly. Styxx didn’t particularly care whether or not he was interrupted, but it seemed to him that no matter how many missions they had had to endure together, Leon was under the mistaken assumption that his nights of coitus were simply an effort to derive some sort of physical pleasure, rather than a way to keep his mind sharp and avoid the descent into madness which could be dangerous for them all. Most of all, Leon. Styxx liked to think of himself as balanced between his human and demon halves, but he knew that he was much more like his sire when it came to wants and desires, but more unbridled when he had not fed in a while.

Stepping closer to Leon, his gaze darkened for a moment, a silent threat in his eyes as he almost dared his fellow rider to test him, but then it faded and he was back to being in control of himself once more. ”f you’re not going to bathe with me, think you can wait until I finish? There are a few details I wouldn’t mind going over with you before we leave…”

Not at all concerned about an answer, Styxx walked towards the baths to clean up and get ready to go. Thus far they had been to every type of world imaginable, some that were far beyond anything he would ever have imagined. Sector 13 would be a surprise, but hopefully one he was prepared for. Bath finished, he dressed himself in a light tunic and pants, with his bracer on his right arm and his glove on his left. Slinging his bow and quiver across his back, he hoped that what he was wearing was not too out of place in Sector 13, but there really was no way to conceal his weapons short of a spell and he would rather use his energy on something a little more worthwhile… like hunting the royals. Walking back into the halls, he looked around for Anna or Leon : if the latter had waited for him as he’d instructed, he’d try to pick the other’s head for any information he had missed while conducting his research; if Leon had decided to leave, he’d catch up with Anna and hopefully they would have enough time so he could sneak in a quick bite before they left.

ℒocation: his room ➠ halls tab tab Ꮗith: Leon & Anna ➠ ??? tab tab
ℳood: Emotion tab tab Ꮋunger: ██████████ 100%+ tab tab tab tab Ꮋealth: ██████████ 100%+

ɪɴᴠᴇɴᴛᴏʀʏ

Quiver: 100% Full; Arrows: 20/20
Dagger
Rider's Ring




ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴀʀʀᴏᴡs

OOC



I speak in a bold #476666

[Dangerosa]

Zeph was hesitant to take Sai's silence as a sign the dragon was thinking deeply about what he had said. The last time he gave the dragon the benefit of the doubt he had been disappointed. Zeph let the silence stretch on as he calmly sipped on his drink and listened to the conversation around him for any whispers of foreigners and talk of the staffs or even some little clue that there might be a treasure worth taking around here. Instead it was nothing but mundane gossip, the unintelligible ramblings of half awake hungover patrons and the old drunks spinning tales of their past loves and great feats. It was nothing of interest and nothing exciting. Nothing to be worried about. Zeph just hoped that he didn't have to worry about Claire either.

When the dragon spoke this time, there seemed to be a burgeoning excitement in his voice. He seemed excited yet cautious as he searched for the right words to express what was on his mind. Zeph didn’t want to get ahead of himself as Sai started to sound like he was considering different options that didn’t involve asking the Immortals to solve his problems. It was a start, a step in the right direction in his books. At the mention of ‘giving’ Demidians and Humans rights, he gave a snort of derision. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy with the idea, but he didn’t want to be anyone’s charity case. Besides, Humans and Demidians had rights; they just weren’t recognized by the upper echelons of their society and as long as they were considered lower tired citizens being given rights wouldn’t change a damn thing.

”Maturity is grown through experience. If you stick your a** in one spot for years you grow ******** weak and senile. Talking to the others is a start; so is going to the different kingdoms and learning about the different races and what their problems are.” Picking up his glass, he swirled the amber liquid around, watching the way the light went through the liquid and the ice cubes as he thought. As far as angels and demons were concerned, Zeph was still fairly young himself and, admittedly, still had a lot of learning to do, but he liked to think that he was more street smart than Saifullah. That could probably be attributed to the fact that he had travelled more extensively than the drake. Maybe that was a possible solution to the Prince’s problems. Or at least a solution that might help to improve the situation in Lyralona and help Sai find whatever book he believed would help the dragons.

Nodding slowly, he finished the rest of his drink as he came to a decision. ”I can help you with that. Give me a few more details about this book and I’ll talk to the others about it. Maybe they’ll have some information that you can use. As for talking to the other races, maybe we can start that now.” Getting to his feet he looked around at the humans and other races in the pub. If Sai was serious about improving the situation of the humans, Korrin was the place to do that. He’d be able to show Sai around some of the poorer regions of the city and the daily struggles of the people of Korrin. ”You want to talk to the other races? Then let’s get out of this ******** pub and on the streets. Korrin is the human’s kingdom and if you’re going to petition them for help with the dragons, you’re going to have to understand them and their problem. We’re all ******** selfish creatures and no one is going to help you if you don’t help them.” Motioning for Sai to follow him, he started to make his way out of the pub. Sai had a ******** ton of learning to do and he didn't have years to teach him.

tab tab 𝔏𝔬𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 lavisca pub tab tab tab 𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 sai tab
tab tab 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰 95%

[Dangerosa]

The little monkey was apparently quite a bit calmer now that his rant was over. Or maybe now that he had some food in his stomach he was a feeling better. Good enough to turn down the offer for more food apparently. Even if it were true that the monkey had always been self-reliant, Balian would have thought that the small primate would have been thankful to have a break from having to scourge around for his next bite to eat. It had to be difficult to survive such an arid environment. Though being as small a** he was maybe the monkey didn't see it as all too challenging. His brow furrowed a little when the monkey claimed not to have a name as he didn't want to impose on the small animal especially since they weren't going to be travelling around together. "The monkey doesn't have a name," he translated for Maelyn. "He said most call him monkey but he's open to any other name we suggest. Why don't you pick one and we'll see if he likes it?" It almost reminded him of his childhood, before things changed and he had to grow up and take his responsibility seriously. He could remember hours spent playing with his little sister, talking to all sorts of animals and learning about them. Each time the subject of naming one of them came up, he would always leave it to her. At first it was simply to make her happy, but later, it was because he lacked the creativity to think of something himself.

Though he was sure she and Georgie would argue that he was creative when he relaxed and allowed himself to be. Maybe he would pick up a hand-crafted animal model for Sybil.

No sooner had he finished explaining things to Maelyn did the monkey jump off his shoulder and hop back onto hers. Perhaps he had changed his mind about leaving and decided it might be worth it to stick around. Either way, Balian almost envied the princess in the amount of attention she was getting from the primate. After two months at sea, this was his first encounter with real animal life and it happened to be more interested in discovering what the princess was than in where his next meal was coming from. But perhaps he shouldn't fault it too much : it probably wasn't everyday a monkey would encounter a dragon. "She's not from Paravell, nor is she a mermaid. We're not from here, but from Agara. Princess Maelyn is from Brivas." Once again, Balian slowed as he examined some of the wares at one of the stalls and enjoyed the faint sound of music which seemed to be coming from one of the open windows. This city was lively and it was so easy to momentarily forget what they came here for or to get so lost in the vibrant energy of the place that one did not want to return home to a war torn kingdom. Even he was uncertain how much of his relaxed attitude was an act and how much was genuine. One things was for certain, he would be keeping an eye out for anything that resembled a staff. No matter how at ease he felt in this place, he had to remember that finding the staffs before any of the others would make all his dreams and wishes come true.

"Is Paravell one of the Kingdoms in Jardas? Can you tell us a little about the continent?" While he wasn't in the mood to hear about a kingdom of water, as he assumed Paravell to be because of the monkey's question (the thought alone was enough to make him feel nauseous all over again), he had a suspicion that Maelyn would be interested in hearing a little bit about a place that would remind her of home. Additionally, any information the monkey gave could be filtered by him and he could keep some of it to himself if he believed it would prove useful on their quest. "And we're looking for the staffs that would summon the immortals," he answered the primate's question carefully, giving Maelyn a cautious look, gauging her reaction, and wondering just how much their little companion knew about the staffs in question. And if the monkey knew quite a bit, then how much was he be willing to share. What would need to be offered in exchange for the information?



ℒ𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 lavisca streets tab tab 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 maelyn & monkey tab tab
𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓼 recovering tab tab ℱ𝒆𝒆𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 cautious

I speak in a bold #DE374B

[Dangerosa]

Zeph only hoped that this wasn’t going to be a waste of time. He had to get back to Claire’s side and make sure that she was okay. Not to mention the fact that the Guardians had a meeting that he, strangely enough, was looking forward to, and the fact that there were strangers who had just arrived in Jardas whom Kin believed were looking for the staffs. Dealing with a dragon who relied on others to solve his own problems was far down on Zeph’s to-do list. If this prince didn’t start to get the gist of things quickly, the pirate was about ready to move on. First things first, he was going to have to somehow explain to this dragon that when you wanted to know the issues that were bothering people, the first thing you did was use your eyes, next your ears, and finally your mouth. Asking questions was one way to get your answers, but people did tend to think you were only trying to pry and not really interested in helping.

As far as the old book went, there were only six kingdoms in Jardas, Sai had already crossed off two of them, and Zeph was certain that they wouldn’t place a book of such importance in the underwater kingdom of Paravell. So he was betting that it would be found in the elven kingdom of Escallia. The city of Minevia in particular was home to a great many secrets and treasures, and it wasn’t much of a stretch to assume the children of the Immortals would have the library the prince was looking for. The only other kingdom he would venture to look into was Korrin, but he wasn’t that optimistic about finding it here : Humans ranked just one step up the totem pole than Demidians, so it was unlikely to find anything with that much cultural significance in these deserts. He would keep that to himself for now, though, and see how long it took Sai to make that connection. However, judging for what he had observed so far, it would take a while before that next critical step in thinking took place.

Picking a direction at random once they left the pub, Zeph continued for a moment in silence as he thought about various ways to do this which would make the most impact as quickly as possible. Most beings learned the most through practical experience, but he couldn't afford to take a few years out of his life to have Sai shadow him around. Zeph believed that would only make him complacent and cause him to lower his guard, thereby leading to his untimely demise. Tsking quietly, he came out of his thoughts and looked around, taking in the scene in front of him. This would do. They were walking through some of the poorer areas of the port city and they were bound to find people who were in need of some sort of help — whether financial or otherwise. Zeph made a brief gesture to indicate that the dragon should take in their surroundings. ”Open your ******** eyes and take a look around. Leaning about what difficulties someone has doesn’t always mean you have to open your ******** mouth and ask questions. You have two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a ******** reason.” Even if Sai didn't suggest something as grand as putting an end to the poverty around them, which, as far as he was concerned, would always exist in some shape or form, the pirate hoped Sai would at the very least recognize the struggles that the people faced in this area on a daily basis.

For the first time since he and Sai had crossed paths, Zeph appeared a little less guarded, a little more open. It was a barely discernable shift in his posture and in the way he held himself. It was as if he had just walked through the doors to a house, fallen back in a comfortable chair with a sigh and said, 'I'm home!' While these weren't the streets on which he had grown up, they did have a familiarity about them and not only because he may have walked down here once or twice in the past in order to find an obscure inn for a ménage à trois. Like all other neighbourhoods, this one probably had its quirks, its secrets, its dangers, that would trap any unsuspecting fool, so Zeph would never relax entirely while they walked through, but there was enough familiarity — the scents of decay and human refuse, the sounds of shouting and children playing, the sight of nearly decrepit homes — that he felt as though he knew this place and its streets. And perhaps he did as they bore such a similarity to the streets he had called his home during his childhood.

After a moment, Zeph came to a stop and indicated that Sai should stay back and keep quiet. He watched a small group of children as they walked through the streets on their own. There was a boy who looked to be no older than in his teens with two younger siblings. One of whom, a young prepubescent girl was holding onto an infant. They looked as though they had just returned from the market, and were heading home to a small house that was really nothing more than a shack in his opinion. They weren’t in the best parts of Lavisca right now and the older boy seemed to be on alert, a small dagger strapped to his waist as he ushered his siblings inside. Very few words were exchanged as the children scurried like rats into their home. As soon as the door closed, Zeph spoke up. ”What did you see, Sai? I’m not talking about the ******** obvious. Besides a group of kids going home, tell me what you saw.” He hoped the prince was able to pick up on something and didn't just claim that nothing of significance had occurred or fail to understand the point of this exercise.

tab tab 𝔏𝔬𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 lavisca tab tab tab 𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 sai tab
tab tab 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰 95%

[Dangerosa]

The feather light touch of soft lips as they placed kisses along his skin, the slight pressure of teeth as they bit into the same, caused him to close his eyes and hum in pleasure, not even needing to turn around to know who it was tending to him so sweetly. He would always recognize that scent. The scent of a soap only a woman would use. Clean, refreshing, nothing harsh that could potentially harm the soft texture of her skin. If ever a perfume was used, it was used judiciously, only to enhance her natural scent and never to overwhelm it. It wasn't foul or cloying like those used by the streetwalkers or the women who seemed to inhabit the bars, simply waiting for, begging for, any man to approach. As easy as they were to feed from, it was done with repugnance, a sentiment that he could never associate with this woman. His Anna.

Yes, he would claim her as his. Despite the difference in age, despite the fact that there was no monogamy in their relationship, he would still claim her. She had survived countless nights in his bed, many more hours outside of it in his embrace. The only way she would leave it would be when he was willing to let her go. And considering the arrangement they had, he didn't see either of them willingly moving to end this at any time soon. Anna was someone he would fight to protect and if he could help it, he wouldn't lose her any time soon. She was good for him, emotionally and physically, and the more human side of him hoped that he was able to repay her in kind.

Her warm honeyed tones, tickled his ear and he smirked and opened his eyes as she came into view. His eyes darkened, his body beginning to stir once more in response to her words, and come to life the moment their lips met and her energy flowed through him. After the night and morning they had just had, he knew full well that he should pull back and take it slow, but her energy was addictive, far better than any intoxicant ever created. And that realization scared him. All it would take was one slip up, one lapse of judgement and he would lose the one person he had promised himself that he would protect. What's more, he promised her he would protect her from him, and if he couldn't do that —. His arms drew her closer as he opened himself more to her, wanting to forget those thoughts, those fears, and enjoy the taste he was being offered right now. Just a little while longer.

When another voice intruded, it came to an end and Styxx found himself almost breathless once he pulled away from Anna. While his expression showed just a twinge of annoyance that the prince had decided to interrupt, inside he was slightly relieved. They needed control. He needed it more than her right now. Not for the first time, he wished that he could drain her completely without any negative consequences. "Maybe one day when you'll understand, Mikhail, but until that day comes, cherish you're innocence." Before the prince could herd them towards the hall of portals, Styxx gave Anna one final chaste kiss before falling into line and fixing clothes and equipment that was now somewhat skewed. "After all this time, you still believe that my reason for joining the Riders was to get something from your father?" Styxx shook his head, incredulous. "There is nothing in this sector, prince, that your father could give me to satisfy me. Not even half his kingdom." All he wanted was the rebel leader's head on a platter and the resurrection of his brother. The former, he had to get for himself, with or without the help of the other riders; the later was an impossibility.

No sooner had they arrived in the hall of portals did Mikhail shift gears and start to get down to business. Looking around and seeing only Cyrus in the room, made Styxx wonder if Mikhail could have found Soren and Cyrus first before interrupting him and Anna. Fifteen minutes was plenty of time for them to have a little fun. Styxx looked to Anna with a teasingly suggestive smile, but didn't make a move to follow through. Cyrus was someone new to the Riders and someone he didn't fully trust for it seemed that he didn't make an effort to capture the royals. Each sector they had visited had produced a response that seemed somewhat lacking. There never seemed to be that level of urgency from the man. "I know Anna and I had a busy night, and Trey is notorious for making life difficult for those around him, but what, has kept you up all night, Cyrus? I'm certain you weren't so preoccupied thinking about how you were going to capture the royals or studying Sector 13 that you couldn't sleep." Styxx really couldn't figure Cyrus out. What was he and what did he want out of this? Was he like Anna and wanted to get something from the King or did he have a personal agenda or reason for joining. Cyrus was good, but never motivated. It was vexing. "I pray you don't use your lack of sleep as an excuse for slacking off today."

ℒocation: castle halls ➠ hall of portals tab tab Ꮗith: Anna, Mikhail & Cyrus tab tab
ℳood: calm tab tab Ꮋunger: ██████████ 100% tab tab Ꮋealth: ██████████ 100%

ɪɴᴠᴇɴᴛᴏʀʏ

Quiver: 100% Full; Arrows: 20/20
Daggers




ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴀʀʀᴏᴡs

OOC

[Dangerosa]

Neither Kyrin nor Stefan seemed to have noticed a change her her voice — or if they noticed, they decided not to comment on it— , and for that Melissa was grateful. As much as she liked her present company, talking about her boy troubles was not something she felt comfortable doing with either of them. She could already predict the responses : from Kyrin she would get a muted response at best, silence at worst; from Stefan she might get something a smidgen more comforting but she wouldn’t hold her breath on that. In an attempt not to dwell on what might have been, she allowed herself to hold onto the sound of Stefan’s voice and allow the spoken words to carry her where they would as she focused on her breathing and clearing her thoughts. Simple exercises. It was the start of the school year which meant the start of something new, a time to look towards the future and perhaps meeting new people, planning for university, and another trip around the world — or so she hoped.

”You should have called me; I’m sure that together we could have found some way of making your summer a little more memorable!” Did Stefan even have her number? Did she have his ? Mel was back to scrolling through her ever growing list of contacts on her phone to see if she had him listed and a slight pout came to her lips as she discovered she did not. Unless she had made a slight typo and ‘Stéphane’ was supposed to be… nope. Stéphane was another embassy brat like her. She supposed she could stick to email for now… ”Summer breaks, no matter how short, are meant to be enjoyed! What do you think, Kyrin?” Mel cast a look over her shoulder at the quiet girl following behind them, a smile on her face as she tried to encourage her friend to join the conversation. Though a little voice at the back of her head was telling her the other girl was going to mutely give a shrug of her shoulders.

Looking to Stefan as he spoke again, laughter lighting up her eyes, she decided that she was just a bit too happy about being back here. Then again, she couldn’t help it: it was her first real school where she was surrounded by kids from all sorts of different backgrounds. ”Aren’t you even the teeniest bit excited about being back? Only a few more months and we’ll be free! No more physics!” she said with a laugh. Then she nudged him a bit as he started talking about none of them seeing each other much once the year was over and they moved on to their post-secondary studies. ”Aww, don’t be like that! There’s always a chance that we can meet up again some day. And in the meantime we have these,” she waved her phone in front of him with a grin on her face. ”With a few taps of our fingers we can keep in touch and video chat.” Yes, technology was wonderful thing. ”Besides, we need to start building a network if we’re going to find great jobs. It’s all about who you know and what types of favours you can call in later,” Mel added, sobering slightly. One thing that her dad always told her was that it was important to leave a good first impression on people and to always try to do good by others as you would never know when they would be able to help you when you were in a tight spot.

Almost too soon they were at Kyrin and Stefan's homeroom and it was here that Mel knew that she would be parting ways with them. Judging by the slightly hurried pace of the other students in the hallway, she suspected that she would have to hurry to class if she would make it before the bell. And either way she wanted to make it to the room before her favourite seat was taken. She absolutely hated the front row and always had to have a seat in the second row on the side of the classroom closest to the window. "Don't forget to meet me for lunch okay, Kyrin? I'd really, really, really like your help. I'm sure you'd be more than welcome to come to, Stefan," her eyes flickered to the brunet as she spoke to him, then she started counting people off on her fingers as she listed them. "There will just be four of us : you, me, Kyrin and Feli. Five if Feli manages to talk Will into coming along." Shrugging, she ran a hand through her short brown hair to mess it up a bit, suddenly feeling like the weight of being student body president just hit her. She was really going to need her friends to get through this year. "Gotta run or I'm gonna lose my seat and if I don't see you at lunch, I'll find you later I promise." With one final sunny smile she was parting ways with them and hurrying to class.


tab tab 𝔏𝔬𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 Kyrin & Stefan's classroom - halls tab tab tab 𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 Kyrin & Stefan - alone tab
tab tab 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰 healthy

[Dangerosa]

As far as rooms went, this one wasn't so bad. It was certainly far better than the places they had stayed when they were just starting out on their own. Two relatively soft beds, lots of blankets and pillows, it was warm and relatively safe and secure. And just to make sure nothing would happen to either of them while they slept, he'd added his own little spell to the door. Something he'd found in a book to ward off unwanted guests. So far it seemed to be working so it was another spell he'd be adding to his collection. He'd discovered that not everything written in books actually worked; a lot was just a bunch of people wanting to make money as quickly as they could. But with the working sigil on the door, as long as he was within the confines of this room, he felt like no one would touch them and the disorder and mayhem outside the room was nothing more than a dream. When he opened his eyes he would remember that even the nightmares weren't real and that none of it had happened.

But he was old enough to know better. Could still feel the phantom pain to remind him that it was all far too real.

He'd been restless that night, waking up with a start and trying not to wake Anna as his hands blindly searched the bed for his doll. Finding it, he clung to it tightly, trying not to make a sound. The nature of the dream was something that he wouldn't soon forget as it was the same recurring nightmare for the past little while. It was probably because he didn't have a real doll to play with or hadn't drawn anything recently. Sometimes drawing helped; dolls always helped. They had always been there for him no matter what he'd been through. Pushing his hair back from his face, his hands felt cold. He was shivering despite being bundled up as much as possible. Kyrian didn't dare turn away from the window to see if Anna was still in the room with him. She wasn't always there and he didn't want to face the disappointment if she wasn't or worry her if he accidentally woke her up. Squeezing his eyes shut, he worked on slowing his breathing and racing heartbeat and drifting back off to sleep.

At some point he did and awoke to the daylight streaming through the window. That was always his sign to start the day whether he was ready for it or not. With the lack of sleep he'd had the night before, he could do with a few more hours under the covers, but he sat up and stumbled out of bed, one hand holding onto his doll, the other rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he tried, rather unsuccessfully, not to bump into anything. It didn't take long to get ready, slipping into some well worn, but comfortable clothes, his favourite jacket, a messenger bag over his shoulder and his doll tucked away safely inside. He had a few snacks to eat if he got hungry and a knife in a pocket that was easy to get to, but other than that, the bag was empty. Kyrian would try to find a pharmacy that he could raid for more bandages. No matter how many he already had, he needed more.

Finding Anna at in the other half of the room, he walked over to her and hugged her tight, the hug lingering a bit too long, and whispering a good morning. His way in not so many words to let her know that he'd had a rough night. When he finally felt ready to let her go, he stepped back and smiled at her, trying to let her know that he was feeling a bit better now. "I'm gonna try to find some more bandages and cleaning stuff today.... I want to practice a few more spells from the book I found tonight. Wanna come with me?" If he was lucky, while he was out scavenging he would find someone who would make a good doll and somewhere to pose his latest creation. He was happy with her, but she didn't fit in any of his collections; she was just something he wanted to try out, an almost spur of the moment decision. But she'd moved too much and he'd messed up her hair. "I also need to check on some of my dolls so they don't get lonely. And Amber needs a friend."

The best thing about this hotel was that there were so many extra rooms! He could put his finished dolls together in a room and just watch them play. Sometimes, he decorated the rooms with what he could find : swing sets, plastic flowers, candles, bicycles, tables and chairs. It was almost like the dolls were still living, captured in a moment in time as they had fun and played with each other. Each one recreating some element of a childhood he read about, wished he'd had. It was perfect, beautiful and nothing would ever ruin it. "And don't forget you promised I could have one of your clients when you're finished with them. That really loud guy would be just right for Lilian!" Kyrian doubted he would ever get the guy he wanted, but he had nothing to lose and if he asked enough times, maybe she would hand him over as a gift one day. Preferably before he had to move Lilian out of the dollhouse. "Do you want me to get anything for you while I'm out?" she didn't look like she got hurt the night before, but Kyrian could never be certain. He knew she didn't like for him to worry, but he couldn't help it. She was all he had left and he would kill anyone and everyone if it meant making sure that she was safe and they could live together in peace.


tab tab 「 Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ 」Abandoned Hotel : 「 Wɪᴛʜ 」Anna : 「 Mᴏᴏᴅ 」 Hopeful :「 Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 」100%

[Dangerosa]

It wasn't too unusual to find the nineteen year old awake early in the morning and getting ready for his run. Despite working until the dining room closed most nights and, upon returning home, staying up much later listening to music or playing games — or both — the one thing could that you couldn't fault the young adult with was his dedication to getting his run done before most of the world was up and out on the streets. In many areas, he could be called lazy, but not in this. Up by five thirty, he brushed his teeth, washed his face and changed into his jogging outfit to be out the door by six. Sometimes he would join one of the other residents of the hotel turned apartment complex for his run, but today he had quite a lot on his mind and the silence, save for classical music he was listening to on iPod, would be welcome.

It had been a last minute decision during the course of the summer to take a year off from school. They said that the first year of University was always the hardest to get accustomed to, but Ethan had discovered that while that may be true in some subjects, it wasn't in others. He'd been so overwhelmed during the last two years, always spending the first few days after classes let out for break locked in his room, dead to the world, just to recuperate and reorient himself. Last year's exams had been a gruelling marathon and in some respects he felt as though he had yet to recover from it. Music helped, it always did, but this last school year he had really pushed himself so much that not even the sounds of his beloved cello were enough to soothe his spirits. This break was necessary.

His parents, of course, were against the entire thing and believed that if he would just get his act together, drop music from his CV and pursue a purely business path, that he would be much better. It frustrated him that they didn't understand how important music had become to him (especially given the fact that they were the ones who forced the piano lessons on him) and even now sent him emails claiming they understood what he wanted from life and urging him to go back to school in January when winter term began.

Like that was ever going to happen.

When he said he wanted a year off, he meant it and nothing, save some Presidential degree stating that all people under the age of 21 had to be in school, was going to make him go back until the next school year began. Besides, he was enjoying his time off and the time he had for soul searching and exploring.

That being said, Kingston was still new to him as he'd only been there a few months, but so far he liked it. Quieter than his hometown, but it still had a certain charm to it that he was starting to admire. Maybe in part because of the assortment of characters that he had met in this place. Or maybe it was just because he had explored as much of the city as possible either on his morning run or when he walked or took the bus through the city to get to various amenities. Whatever it was, he was starting to fall in love with this town and its charms. The only thing that was lacking, in his opinion, was a little more vibrant arts district.

Ethan wanted to pursue music more than anything, had even tried his hand at composing a few pieces, but with nowhere to perform, and being unable to bounce his ideas off of other musical minds like himself, it was rather difficult at times. He'd sent in a request to possibly play the piano at a senior's home on the weekends, but he had yet to hear back from them. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but when pickings were slim... He needed to land something major, something that would... validate his lifestyle and choice of career to his parents, but thus far he hadn't been too successful. If only he could score another museum gig. When he did that with his friends last year it had been amazing and he had met a lot of really great people. Their business cards were still in his cello case if he could remember correctly. He'd been meaning to follow up with them to see if he could land any other events, but as the days turned to weeks and then months, it seemed as though it was too late to bother writing them. They probably forgot about him anyway.

Just after seven o'clock he was finishing up his run and making his way back home. Slowing as he came to the doors, he took the stairs up to the fourth floor and after cooling off for a few minutes, he hoped in the shower. The warm water felt great and he felt like this would be the most relaxed he had been since his shift started last night. It was a great way to start the day. When he stepped out of the shower, the bathroom was all fogged up from the water and if he had wanted to use the mirror at that moment, he would have had to use his hand to clear a circle only to watch it fog right back up again. Thankfully he'd taken care of things before going out on his run.

Once showered and refreshed, he wasted no time getting ready, picking out the first pair of jeans that came to his hand, which just so happened to have a hole in the right knee, and a long sleeved shirt to go with it. Next, Ethan slipped his favourite necklace around his neck, the metal ring pendant engraved with the words "Without music, life would be a mistake", a quote form Nietzsche, feeling somewhat cool against his still heated skin.

Ready to face the day, he glanced at the time, seeing that it was just past eight which was perfect. He'd grab breakfast and depending on how he felt afterwards, follow up with the senior's home where he sent his application or go back to his room and work on his music. He was leaning towards the latter since he just didn't feel like putting a lot of effort into the app. There was always tomorrow though... He'd follow up tomorrow.

Leaving his room for the kitchen, he caught sight of a stunning figure making her way towards him in the corner of his eye. Locking the door, he turned to face the woman who was dressed to the nines as she seemed to glide down the hall with an elegance of a starlet from the golden age of Hollywood with a confidence that would rival any of the modern celebrities. Truly, Victoria Beckham could be up for some competition if ever this woman decided to take to the fashion scene. Ethan could only wonder where she was going at this time of day so dressed up. Was there some high class social event that he hadn't been aware of? Not that he should have been aware of any, but sometimes knowing about the parties was a good way to push his musical career. He released a quiet sigh and wondered if he should put more effort into his job hunt. Seconds later he discarded the idea. He was doing enough.

"Good morning," he said with a smile when the woman was close enough to him that he wouldn't have to raise his voice too much.

Now that she was closer, he noted with interest that whatever she was smoking didn't smell quite like the usual cigarette nor did it seem to burn his throat too much. Another oddity. Ethan didn't immediately recognize her and wondered if she had been visiting with someone the night before, hence the reason for the outfit. If he thought about it logically, there was no way there was some fancy get together at this time of the morning. There couldn't be!

"Are you going somewhere special this morning?" he thought he'd ask to be certain. Didn't want to assume that she was just someone's date going home when she lived here and was going out to meet someone for an incredibly special breakfast.

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⟦ 𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ⟧ 4th floor tab tab ⟦ 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 ⟧ Dalia

[Dangerosa]

On the streets it was a daily battle for power and resources. A battle where one mistake could be your last and if you didn’t align yourself with the right group you might not live long enough to regret it. It had taken hard work and countless demonstrations of a power that could be just as deadly to him as it was to himself before he was at the top. Zephaniah liked to think he ruled the streets and everything in them. He doubted there were any who would dare challenge him — at least to his face — but he did what he could to maintain the position of power he had fought though the dregs to get to and hold onto it like his most prized possession. Some said he ruled with an iron fist and struck down all who dared challenge him, others claimed that he was too oppressive.

But his group, the Royals, knew him better than that. At least he liked to think they did. The one thing he made sure they knew about him was that no matter what he would have their backs. If it meant getting down in the dirt with them, he would do it if it meant their safety. And not just the safety of the Royals, but any other infected who walked these streets, whether they shared his ideals or not. Although if they ever got in his way he would deal with them just as swiftly as he dealt with anyone else.

Though what really spurred him to get out of bed in the morning was not the fact that if he and the Royals didn’t make a stand they would be wiped out by the non-infected bastards who locked themselves within the ‘safety’ of the refugee camp, but a certain pink haired girl who he had failed so many years ago. He would do anything and everything if he could but see her again and apologize for what he’d done. Though if he found out that she wasn’t alive, he would never be able to forgive himself.

And that was his worst nightmare.

He’d asked Anna and a few other trusted friends to keep an ear out for any news regarding her, but so far there was nothing. Zeph wasn’t sure whether or not to be thankful for the lack of information. They said no news was good news, but in this case could he really be certain?

His outfit for the day consisted of a black dress shirt and jeans, both of which were beginning to thin and in need of replacing, and a leather jacket he’d managed to find in one of the abandoned stores. The war meant that it was every man for himself and while things may be different in the refugee camp, there were very few commodities out here that could be purchased with money. If you had it, you were able to fare much better than the next person on the street, but looting and bartering was how the game was played for the most part. Life outside the walls seemed to be moving backwards and forwards at the same time. Guns needed ammunition and when that ran out, you either tried your hand at making your own, reused spent cartridges, or tossed the empty weapon for a knife, a club or an axe. It was almost no surprise they had been walled out.

After informing his second in command of where he was going, Zeph left the courthouse which served as the Royal’s base of operations, and he made his way towards a run down and deserted mall to see if he could scavenge anything useful. He’d promised some of the kids at the orphanage that he would bring them something and he intended to keep his word. All those who were found to be infected were kicked out the refugee camp and made to fend for themselves on the streets. No matter how young they were. Every time Zeph came across one of them, it made his blood boil and he had to take a few minutes to calm down lest he accidentally infect the orphan with something far worse than GENdisease, before taking the kid to one of the orphanages under Royals’ protection. At least there they would be safe from the rabid dogs who ran in packs and ******** things up for their own enjoyment, and the other gangs who would want to recruit them for their own ends. Most of the Royals eventually found their way to join the Royals but he’d rather give them a choice instead of forcing it on them : they’d already been subjected to too many people pushing them around and Zeph wasn’t going to be one of them.

tab tab 𝔏𝔬𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 Deserted mall tab tab tab 𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 alone tab
tab tab 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰 healthy

[Dangerosa]

His words seemed to echo in the empty hallway that, suddenly, appeared a little less bright than it had before. It was as though the sun had moved behind a cloud and prevented the warmth of the star’s rays from reaching the earth. It must have only been a few seconds before the woman turned to face him, but in truth it felt like much longer, a slow reveal of a model’s face, a stance that indicated an air of superiority and importance and radiated a near untouchable aura that warned that any attempt to step closer would be rather unsuccessful.

It was a wonder she allowed the cigarette to rest between her gloved fingers and didn’t resort to using a holder. But if anything, that brought her closer, if even marginally, to the realm of the commons.

All of a sudden, he felt underdressed as crimson hues traveled up and down his person and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was being silently judged and considered wanting. Should he have spoken up? There was no reason not to, as he considered it good manners to greet his neighbours as they crossed his path. But she did have an air of someone who had something important to do, somewhere important to be, and as such should not have been distracted from her focus on her task.

And yet there was something to that gentle curving of her lips that indicated that this was not the case. The smile wasn’t malicious or haughty and Ethan found himself relaxing marginally when he noticed it light up her eyes from behind the veil. And then it appeared that she found whatever she was looking for in him as the smile blossomed fully upon her painted lips, the sun returned, and transformed the hollywood beauty into that girl next door who was hiding behind the lights, cameras and smoke of the big city.

The illusion lasted but a moment, as when the words fell from her vermilion lips, he found himself reminded of the celebrities he would only ever get a chance to encounter from a few thousand miles away and from the other side of a tv screen — or in this case, from behind a haze of smoke. Were it not for the Posh Spice vibe he was getting from her, she would certainly have reminded him of a dragon sizing up its prey, as once again he was forcing himself to keep his eyes on her and not to glance at his clothes, which, he supposed, could belong to a vagrant when compared to hers.

Blinking, he came out of his daze wen she extended her hand and he was almost hesitant to respond in kind, afraid of a Mr. Darcy like response — although she was wearing gloves and she was the one who had initiated the gesture. Smiling, he gave her hand a firm shake as he introduced himself in turn. ”Ethan McCall. Room 408,” he added, in an attempt to prompt some indication as to which room she was staying in. He knew some of his neighbours on sight, but there were still many on this floor that he had yet to encounter. It was almost a sad testament to this day and age where people could live right next to each other and know next to nothing about their neighbours.

”It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Harlingsworth, and I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

Slipping his keys into his back pocket, he proceeded to accompany Dalia towards the elevators. Along the way, his brows furrowed slightly as he took a few seconds to think whether or not there was something about the woman beside him that he should know. The way she had introduced herself made him believe that there was, but there was nothing that was immediately sprinting to mind. Although he knew one thing for certain : she wasn’t a musician or a singer, songwriter, or composer that he was familiar with. He shrugged it off as probably nothing more than another idiosyncrasy of the woman beside him.

”If anything special is going to happen, today seems to be the day for it,” he said easily, slipping a hand in his pocket as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Ordinarily he would have just taken the stairs, but everything he'd seen from his companion was high class and he had a tendency to hurry down the stairs and he might forget that he was not alone this time. When the elevator arrived, he allowed her to precede him before explaining. ”There’s a pleasant crispness to the air outside that’s both refreshing and inspiring. Made my run this morning quite invigorating actually.”

When he turned to look at her with an open curiosity in his eyes, his hair fell across his eyes and he reached up to push it out of the way, not wanting it to get in the way as he studied her. There were times when he was focused on something and didn't mind so much, but he was trying to keep the conversation rather light right now. ”What makes you believe that today is going to be special? And I hope that it is; you look amazing and that has to work in your favour. You remind me of a celebrity to be honest,” he admitted with an easy laugh, lips curving into a timid smile, hoping that the compliment didn't come across the wrong way.

The ping of the elevator alerting them that they were on the ground floor was an almost welcome distraction and Ethan released a breath of relief, thankful for the relative change in scenery, which he then put to use in making a slight conversation change. Another question that came to mind based on what she had said earlier and which was probably safer ground. ”Are you from the area? What do you think about Kingston? Is it different from your hometown?” Well, he was assuming that she wasn’t from here, but with the way she presented herself, it didn’t quite seem to... fit — he supposed that was the best way to put it — with what he had seen from the long time residents. Unless, of course, he had yet to discover the true entertainment district, which was always a possibility as he had only been here for a few months.

tab tab tab ⟦ 𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ⟧ 1st floor tab tab ⟦ 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 ⟧ Dalia tab tab

[Dangerosa]

There were days when Kyrian hated the fact that Anna had to work. Today was one of them. His eyes darkened when she spoke of her clients and he wished that he could take them all away so that he could have Anna all to himself. He didn’t understand why she always had to be leaving him alone. When they were still with their parents she hadn’t been allowed to see him because he was sick and mom was worried that he would infect her too. She didn’t have to worry about that as Anna got sick on her own without his help, but when she finally was able to free him, initially he thought that when he brought her back she would always be there with him and he life would be normal.

This turned out not to be the case. For a while it was the two of them, but then she started working which meant that he was alone… again. Kyrian tried to understand. He really did, but he always wondered if just maybe she didn’t like having to be around him and that was why she took the job that she did. Her clients kept her out all night sometimes and sometimes during the day he felt like he never really got to spend any time with her. It was lonely. Sometimes he felt so very lonely and he couldn’t always get his dolls to work properly and all it did was remind him even more of being in that room at all hours of the day.

”Yea… I’d like that,” he whispered, looking away from her. At least if she worked during the day they could have a few minutes to talk at night. It was better than nothing he supposed. He would just have to work harder to find a new doll. But… not too hard since he didn’t want to risk falling asleep talking to her or while waiting for her to return tonight.

Shaking his head when she offered giving up one of his other clients, a smile twitched on Kyrian’s lips when she messed up his hair and he reached up to fix it again, though he found it nearly impossible to tame his blonde locks. ”It’s okay. I’ll just find someone else for her. She told me she gets scared easily and likes to have someone close to her to keep her safe. I don’t want her to be alone.”

The problem with this was that Kyrian had a tendency to give the dolls traits or personality that mirrored, in some respects, his own. It was always easier to talk about someone else and their problems than to admit that those same problems and concerns where ones that he had. Kyrian had a tendency not to realize this or if he did, smile and try to brush it off as just a passing concern the doll had claiming that he or she would soon cheer up.

Biting his lip, he stared off to the side for the moment as he hugged himself as if cold. How could he not worry about his big sister? If anything happened to her what would he do? Where would he go? He knew that there were probably things about her that he didn’t know and things that she hid from him — it was easy enough for Anna to do that with her power. What if she was really hurting and he didn’t know? ”What if something changes right now?” he finally said after a moment of silence as he fought the surge of emotion that threatened to spill. ”Will you tell me if you remember that you need something?” He really felt like he wasn’t doing enough for her. After everything his sister had done, he owed her so much and he felt he would never be able to pay her back. One day he’d find something.

”Are you ready to go? I’m starving and want some of those pastries we had last week. Think the bakery will have them in stock today?” Maybe after they had breakfast together he would feel better about everything. He just hoped that whoever was working on smuggling supplies out of the refugee camp had been able to get some flour and other supplies out here. All the good foodstuff seemed to be on the other side of the walls. It didn’t seem right or fair but as far as he knew things had been like this for a while; he couldn’t really remember a time where the camp wasn’t there. Anna probably did. She was able to do a lot of things that he couldn’t but since she didn’t really talk about it unless he asked, Kyrian wondered just what it was like and whether or not it was something she had enjoyed.

Smiling brightly to hide his thoughts, he decided there was only one way to find out if he’d get his treats this morning. ”I’m gonna say good morning to all the dolls and then meet you outside, okay? We’ll have breakfast together and then you can go to work like you wanted… And when you’re done I’ll be waiting right here for you.” he just hoped by that time he would have found a doll… Giving Anna one last hug, he hurried out of the room to check on his dolls.


tab tab 「 Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ 」The Dollhouse : 「 Wɪᴛʜ 」Anna ➣ No one : 「 Mᴏᴏᴅ 」 Worried :「 Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 」100%

[Dangerosa]

Like all days, this one started with a few laps at the hotel pool with her pokémon. One thing she did not like about Winter was that all the lakes were frozen and, even if they weren’t, it was too cold for her to take a swim. To pt it simply, it was too cold to do much of anything. Despite the fact that she had lived more than half of her life away from the hot tropical climate of her home, the young woman didn’t think she would ever get used to the cold. Stopping and catching her breath, she held the wall with one well manicured hand as she watched her Ace and Tempe chase each other through the water. For his part, Ven was just lounging around in the water, typically not one to participate in the fun in games unless poked and prodded by Ace.

Smiling, Riva swam over to where Ven was, diving under water and motioning that she wanted to race him. This was the one thing she could count on and though she never stood a chance against her water pokémon, she did enjoy it and it was a light hearted way of training where they could both have some fun. They both popped up to the surface and Riva took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself. "Are you ready?" When Ven responded in the affirmative, she said, "Go!"' a fraction of a second after pushing away from the wall. It wasn't terribly good sportsmanship, but she would need every fraction of a second of an advantage if she was going to stand a chance. She laughed internally at her pokémon's protests and soon enough, he was swimming right beside her, Tempe and Ace following suit only seconds later. "Two more lengths, guys!" Maybe, just maybe, if they made this a bit longer she'd have a chance... Who was she kidding? This was just for fun anyway.

Bringing up the rear, but pleased with her showing, Rebecca pulled herself out of the water once the race was over. "Congrats, you three. That was awesome. I'm going to go wash up then I'll be back. Enjoy the water until then." Riva hated leaving them alone like this, but she knew they didn't get a lot of time to swim and have fun like this too often. Plus she didn't like keeping them in their pokéball all the time so this was the least she could do after how hard they all work for her. Once she finished her shower, she'd be back for them and then they would be heading out to get some shopping done.

Time Skip ———

Dressed in a pink, cream and grey coloured plaid shirt, a pair of dark denim jeans and her brown knee-high boots, Riva had every last button of her black jacket done up and was still fidgeting with her scarf as she walked out the door of the hotel and onto the streets that were lightly dusted with last night's snow. As she had passed a mirror on her way though the hotel's lobby she'd realized that the scarf had gotten caught in the strap of her over the shoulder bag and made her look as though she had just thrown on her clothes and hurried outside. Never a good thing. Once she was finally satisfied that everything sat correctly, she pulled her shades down over her eyes and looked around seeing no one in sight, but that the decorations for tonight's starry night festival were mostly done already. While this festival did tend to be one of the other great days for couples, Riva saw it as signifying that Winter was almost done and soon it would be Spring and there would be no need to continue to tone down her style. She couldn't wait to be back in short skirts, t-shirts and heels again. Boots were nice, but after a while, she did like to change things up a bit more.

Wanting to be out of the cold as quickly as possible, Riva made a beeline towards the Pokémart as that would be her first stop for the day. Hopefully it would be open this early, but if not she could just make her way to the Restaurant to get something to eat. Despite the fact that she was rather cold, she resisted the urge to stuff her hands into her pockets or hunch over a little as she saw some people doing in an effort to conserve as much body heat as possible. Instead, she kept her head held high and her pace, although hurried, appeared to be confident and measured — not like she was a woman on a mission, but it gave the impression that she knew where she was going and wasn't in the mood for any distractions. At least that was the image in her mind and for all she knew, she looked like any other huddled form on the streets, hurrying along to get to where they were going.

As she approached the town square, she slowed, hearing the now familiar sounds of a violin. It made a slight smile form on her lips as she paused to listen, now in sight of the violinist's two pokémon. Their barks as they played didn't seem to detract from the sense of wonder and peace she felt as she listened, but only heighten that emotion and made it all the more consuming. She didn't want to break the spell and, surprisingly enough, the cold didn't seem to bother her anymore. It felt warmer than it had just minutes before. Leaning against one of the nearby trees, hopefully one that was out of his line of sight and wouldn't be a distraction to him, Riva continued to listen, waiting for him to finish the piece before saying anything.

tab tab ᒪOᑕᗩTIOᑎ Town Square tab tab tab ᗯITᕼ James tab
tab tab ᑭOKᕮᗰOᑎ

[Dangerosa]

Dalia was intriguing. An enigma. Someone he believed that he would never be able to adequately describe no matter the length of time he had known her, be it mere minutes or days. It was curious how she stated that it had been a while since she last breakfasted, even more curious her almost excitement to be starting her day with such simple tasks — and overdressed no less. However, as they spoke, even that singular fact seemed to fade into the background as Ethan focused more on her words, her melodious voice and the cadence at which she spoke, than the way she appeared. He had a tendency to find music in everything, and Dalia’s composition was a mixture of modern and classical which was not at all unpleasant. There was something charming about it.

A charm which was undiminished as she soaked up his compliment in a way that was reminiscent of a pampered cat, and he could almost swear he heard a slight contented purr to her words with that pleased look upon her face. Ethan smiled in return, tension leaving him as she didn’t appear too perturbed by his momentary lapse of judgement. Indeed, she seemed to be looking him over once more and he sensed, rather than saw, that her gaze dropped to his chest and the pendant that rested upon it. Absently, Ethan reached up to play with it, feeling it’s familiar weight and size moving between his fingers, the feel of the engraving that he had all but memorized — every dip, corner and ridge. Opening his mouth about to comment on it, he instantly snapped it shut again when she complimented him and let his hand drop, his smile turning shy as he wished he could take a moment to step back and compose himself before continuing the conversation.

”Thanks. I'll try to remember that,” he said with a slight self-deprecating laugh that he wished he could take back the moment he realized he was doing it. But he had never been able to take compliments well, and was even more relieved that there were no more that followed.

Quite unexpectedly, they slowed in front of a bar. This wasn’t where he expected they would have gone for breakfast, but then the woman herself was unexpected, a contradiction of behaviour, words and dress. The fact that she had looked as though contemplating her fourth cigarette before taking note of the no smoking policy of the bar was one of those contradictions. He would never have pegged her for a chain smoker as it was always something he associated with the working or middle class, but Dalia appeared privileged and the two in his mind didn’t make sense. She also seemed enamoured with city living, coming alive as she spoke to him about what she loved most about it, items which he would have personally considered some of the drawbacks. Given what he saw he would have thought they would have gone to one of the fair-trade, certified organic coffee shops and not a bar which had a tendency to speak to less privileged cliente. Either way, it was only breakfast and if she was going to walk in here then the food was probably good, so he simply gave a brief shrug of his shoulders and followed her inside.

”I’m from the east coast. The suburbs, about half an hour outside the big city on a good day.” Sitting across from Dalia, Ethan allowed his eyes to wander around the bar, taking it in and admiring the atmosphere of a place that he almost certainly wouldn’t be able to walk into during the evening hours unless he had some sort of false id. Then again, he wasn’t entirely sure; the only time he ever did any drinking was at private parties either hosted by his parents or his friends.

”It was quiet, but I enjoyed it. Not so much the commute.” The corners of his lips twitched upwards as his eyes returned to hers, his expression somewhat nostalgic as he thought back to his childhood and even his first two years of university, travelling an hour each day just to get on campus. ”But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Looking out the window towards Blessed Dreams Hall, he wondered what did bring him here. The question was, in some respects, similar to that which had been asked when he first took the keys. And was it something that he really wanted to answer. He hummed softly in thought, deciding how much he wanted to say, his words coming out slowly and somewhat hesitantly as he continued to think it over even as he responded.

”It was a chance to experience life in the city, but one where the pace is somewhat slower than the larger cities like the one you described. I…” Trailing off as the waitress appeared, he offered her a warm smile, and ordered a coffee without bothering to look at the menu. His eyes lingered for a brief moment on the waitress as she walked away, humming thoughtfully, before picking up his menu to see what they offered for breakfast. If they had a good selection he would have to remember to come back over here one morning — he knew for sure the service was good.

Ethan didn’t bother to finish his previous thought, not wanting to admit that one of the other reasons he decided to move here was for opportunities. Kingston might not be as big or exciting as New York but it was more urban than his home town. Maybe it would be easier for him to get his foot in the door to a career he actually wanted by starting some place small, building a professional reputation and then moving someplace ideal. Hopefully he could get it done before his parents decided to take a drive over here and haul his a** back home.

From behind the menu, Ethan froze, his eyes widening as he silently mouthed a profanity, cursing himself for making mention of his room number when he had initially introduced himself to Dalia. Perhaps if he had kept quiet about that she wouldn't have been able to bring it up, but then there were other things that may have given him up and this was, unfortunately, one of his worst kept 'secrets'. A slight blush coloured his cheeks, quickly fading away by the time he lowered the menu and nodded in confirmation of what she had said.

"Without music, life would be a mistake," he quoted, referencing the words on his necklace with a smile. "I noticed you looking at the pendant earlier. I'm a cellist — well, an aspiring cellist. It's a passing interest." Hardly, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to it and be put on the spot at some later date. Echoes of his parents always complaining when he didn't play enough or asking him to play for them travelled through his mind and an involuntary shudder passed through him. Never again.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Ms. Harlingsworth. But, uh, let me know if it's disturbing you and I'll, umm... play someplace else." Oh gosh, he was an idiot. What were the chances of that ever happening? More likely since she said she was dancing to it, she would tell him that it wasn't a bother and to continue playing. Maybe he should check out the local university and see whether or not he would be able to borrow one of the practice rooms during the afternoon. It seemed unlikely, but he was starting to think that it was a good idea.

Ethan ducked his head a little, looking anywhere but at her and desperate to get the conversation off of himself and onto something else. It wasn't that he was entirely embarrassed that someone had complimented his playing, but more that he always felt a little uncomfortable having an audience he wasn't prepared for. He was always too self-conscious when he was learning a new piece, practically terrified of what people would think if they heard the mistakes. It was something he knew he had to work on.

"Uh, you said you danced? Are you a dance teacher or is it just something you enjoy doing in your spare time?" As he looked her over again as he considered for himself the answer to his question, he didn't think it was that much of a stretch to think that she taught dance. She didn't have a pedagogical air, but then again, how many arts teachers did? Most of his had seemed down to earth and didn't tend to walk around with their noses to the sky.

tab tab tab ⟦ 𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ⟧ A bar tab tab ⟦ 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 ⟧ Dalia tab tab